Madison Square Garden to Host UFC 322: Championship Showdown Between Della Maddalena and Makhachev

The UFC is set to deliver a championship-heavy card at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, November 15, 2025, with two title fights anchoring the event. The welterweight championship will be on the line as Jack Della Maddalena makes his first defense against Islam Makhachev, while women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko faces former strawweight titleholder Zhang Weili in the co-main event.

Two Championship Matchups Define UFC 322

This pay-per-view event marks a significant moment for both title holders. Della Maddalena’s path to the championship and his upcoming challenge from Makhachev represents a clash of two elite careers on different trajectories. Meanwhile, Shevchenko’s second reign at 125 pounds continues with her second title defense, facing a formidable challenger in Zhang Weili, who has recently moved up from the strawweight division after holding the belt twice.

The Main Event: Della Maddalena’s Championship Tenure

Jack Della Maddalena (18-2) captured the UFC welterweight title in May 2025 at UFC 315, defeating Belal Muhammad via unanimous decision. The Australian’s rise through the ranks showcases an impressive trajectory. After signing with the UFC in September 2021 following a Dana White’s Contender Series appearance, Della Maddalena opened his promotional career with four consecutive first-round stoppage victories, claiming three “Performance of the Night” bonuses.

His early UFC run demonstrated devastating finishing power, with knockout victories over Pete Rodriguez, Ramazan Emeev, and Danny Roberts, followed by a submission win over Randy Brown. In his first bout that extended beyond the opening round, Della Maddalena earned a split decision victory over Bassil Hafez in a contest that garnered “Fight of the Night” honors. He subsequently defeated Kevin Holland via split decision in September 2023.

A pivotal moment came in March 2024 when Della Maddalena knocked out Gilbert Burns, a former title challenger, in the third round. This victory positioned him as a top contender and ultimately led to his championship bout against Muhammad. Over his eight-fight UFC tenure, Della Maddalena has accumulated six fight-night bonus awards, establishing himself as an exciting, high-output performer in the welterweight division.

Islam Makhachev: The Lightweight Champion Moving Up

Islam Makhachev (27-1) brings considerable championship experience to the welterweight title bout, though a move up in weight class presents new challenges. The 32-year-old Russian fighter’s only career loss came early in his UFC tenure when Adriano Martins knocked him out in the first round of his second promotional fight in 2015.

Following that setback, Makhachev embarked on an impressive 10-fight winning streak that earned him a lightweight title opportunity. He claimed the 155-pound belt in 2022 with a second-round submission victory over Charles Oliveira. His title reigns featured notable victories against former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 via decision and UFC 294 via knockout. In June 2024, Makhachev submitted interim champion Dustin Poirier in the fifth round at UFC 302.

Most recently, Makhachev successfully defended his lightweight title against late replacement Renato Moicano with a quick submission, establishing a record for consecutive UFC lightweight title defenses at four. The victory earned Makhachev a fifth fight-night bonus award in his past five bouts, underscoring his consistent performance level at the highest tier of competition.

The Co-Main Event: Shevchenko’s Flyweight Championship Defense

Valentina Shevchenko (25-4-1) has established herself as the dominant force in the UFC women’s flyweight division. Since joining the promotion in December 2015 as a short-notice replacement, Shevchenko has compiled an extraordinary record. Her early UFC career saw her compete at bantamweight, where she posted a 2-2 record that included victories over Holly Holm and Julianna Pena, though she also experienced two decision losses to Amanda Nunes.

The transition to 125 pounds marked a turning point in Shevchenko’s career. She captured the vacant flyweight title with a decision victory over former strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk and subsequently defended the title seven times before losing to Alexa Grasso at UFC 285. The rematch between the two ended in a split draw in September 2023, but Shevchenko reclaimed the title in the trilogy bout at UFC 306.

In her most recent defense, which served as the co-main event at UFC 315 in May 2025, Shevchenko earned a unanimous decision victory over Manon Fiorot. Shevchenko’s dominance is reflected in her divisional records: 11 wins, 4 KO/TKO victories, a 9-fight winning streak, and 10 title fight victories. She has absorbed only 1.86 strikes per minute on average, demonstrating elite striking defense. Her cumulative striking output totals 1,963 strikes landed with 49 takedowns achieved, along with remarkable control time statistics of 1:27:25 in control and 1:15:53 in top position.

Zhang Weili: Pursuing a Second Championship

Zhang Weili (26-3), the 36-year-old former two-time strawweight champion, is moving up to challenge for the flyweight crown. Her first strawweight title reign began in August 2019 when she defeated Jessica Andrade via first-round TKO in China. Zhang successfully defended that title with a split decision over Joanna Jedrzejczyk in March 2020 before losing the belt to Rose Namajunas via a spectacular head kick knockout just 78 seconds into their UFC 261 encounter in April 2021. Namajunas retained the title in their rematch that November with a split decision.

Zhang rebounded from consecutive losses by defeating Jedrzejczyk again in June 2022, this time via knockout. She reclaimed UFC gold in November 2022 with a submission victory over Carla Esparza, beginning her second strawweight title reign. During this second championship run, Zhang made three successful title defenses: defeating Amanda Lemos via decision in August 2023, submitting Yan Xiaonan via decision at UFC 300, and most recently earning a decision victory over Tatiana Suarez at UFC 312 in February 2025.

Complete UFC 322 Fight Card

Main Card (10:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV):

• Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev (Welterweight Championship)
• Valentina Shevchenko vs. Zhang Weili (Women’s Flyweight Championship)
• Sean Brady vs. Michael Morales
• Leon Edwards vs. Carlos Prates
• Beneil Dariush vs. Benoit Saint-Denis

Preliminary Card (8:00 p.m. ET on ESPNEWS):

• Bo Nickal vs. Rodolfo Vieira
• Roman Kopylov vs. Gregory Rodrigues
• Erin Blanchfield vs. Tracy Cortez
• Malcolm Wellmaker vs. Cody Haddon

Early Prelims (6:00 p.m. ET on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+):

• Kyle Daukaus vs. Gerald Meerschaert
• Angela Hill vs. Fatima Kline
• Susurkaev vs. Eric McConico

*Card subject to change